About Gencom

Our History

Founded in 1987 by Karim Alibhai, the Gencom family of companies is one of the industry’s leading real estate investment and development firms with experience owning, developing and operating across multiple industry segments and asset classes. Gencom focuses on executing distressed, turnaround and repositioning opportunities and actively invests in single-asset and portfolio assets, branded residential projects and hospitality operating platform strategies.

In its early years, Gencom was predominantly focused in the limited-service, full-service and extended-stay segments, having successfully built, developed and executed on a number of strategies, most notably its formation of one of the largest independent owner/operator hotel company of its time (Gencom American Hospitality) and having co-sponsored a significant hospitality REIT IPO in 1995. Throughout its early years, Gencom’s successful execution of several portfolio and operating platform transactions helped build a reputation and track record which laid the foundation for the company’s future growth and expansion.

In 1997, adjusting to market and consumer trends, Gencom further diversified its portfolio and expanded its focus to include the acquisition and development of luxury mixed-use hotels and resorts with complementary residential components. Gencom considers itself to be a pioneer and innovator in this segment with regards to design, capital markets execution and outside the box thinking and has since emerged as a leader in this segment through its development and ownership of Ritz Carlton, Four Seasons and Rosewood properties around the world.

More recently, Gencom has again expanded its reach in the industry, further diversifying into the full-service and independent management sector through its investment in Benchmark, a Global Hospitality Company, a global leader in the marketing and management of hotels, resorts and conference centers.

Throughout its history, Gencom has maintained its relationships at the highest levels with institutional and high net worth investors, leading debt, capital market, and service providers and multiple industry leading brands. The company continues to actively lead and participate in joint ventures with an expansive and diversified investor base, further solidifying Gencom as one of the industry’s preeminent hospitality real estate investment firms.

Investment Philosophy

Guided by an investment criteria that satisfies the demands of institutions and individuals alike, Gencom brings an entrepreneurial approach and attention to detail befitting a company that owns some of the most renowned hotels, resorts and residential properties in the world.

Gencom is also proactive and thrives on taking calculated risks, identifying and completing complex transactions, and earning the confidence of its partners and colleagues. With a sharp focus on diversification and outside the box thinking, Gencom remains opportunistic, nimble and agile in its investment philosophy, and maintains a strong market position in a variety of asset segments within both domestic U.S. and international markets. This philosophy has earned the confidence of Gencom’s investors and relationships throughout the industry.

Gencom has also been successful on achieving multiple investment exit strategies, including single-asset, portfolio and public to private executions, and is opportunistic in this regard with an innate ability to adapt to market cycles and macro events. Through the years, Gencom’s track record of investment performance and investment philosophy has earned the confidence of Gencom’s investors and relationships throughout the industry.

What We Do

Investment

Gencom’s Miami-based team focuses on sourcing new acquisition opportunities for investment, repositioning and development, as well as overseeing its existing portfolio of investments on behalf of its principal and investment partners. Since its inception, Gencom has completed, directly or indirectly, over $7 B of real estate transactions.

The firm’s experience in transaction structuring, debt placement and refinancing, corporate and tax structuring, and cash and distribution management has allowed proven success in each of its strategic ventures and are integral components of Gencom’s approach to investment opportunities. Gencom also offers a robust team with in-house asset management, design and procurement, construction and architecture, real estate sales, sales and marketing, and legal negotiation.

Development

Gencom is experienced in all aspects of construction, development and repositioning – spanning construction of some of the industry’s most notable hotels and resorts, to executing on smaller and specialized renovation and repositioning strategies. Gencom is also active in the development of residential which is directly related to, incorporated within or complementary to its existing portfolio of hotel investments. Within each development project, Gencom maintains a lead development partner role and leverages its relationships to partner with the industry’s leading third party consultants, firms and advisors.

Throughout its history, Gencom has built a reputation for successfully delivering on its development projects and has also been a pioneer in several construction and design elements. Most notably, Gencom has been an innovator, having partnered with leading luxury hospitality brands to co-develop and construct among the first luxury condo-hotel rental models which have become ubiquitous in the hospitality industry today.

Today, Gencom is focused on its existing portfolio of investments which includes significant development, expansion and construction projects throughout the U.S., Caribbean and Latin America and including resort, real estate and ancillary amenity components.

Management

In 2015, Gencom embarked on a platform dedicated to the independent and boutique hotel, resort and conference center space through its 50% acquisition of Gemstone Hotels & Resorts. The operating platform was subsequently merged into Benchmark, a Global Hospitality Company in 2016, thus creating one of the largest independent management platforms in the industry with over 65 hotels and 9,000 rooms under management or asset management.

Gencom, as a shareholder in Benchmark and with advisory board representation, takes an active oversight role with emphasis on all phases of operations. Gencom also acts as the real estate platform which invests in real estate acquisition opportunities which are strategic to the Benchmark management platform.

Gencom only acts on behalf of its owned real estate or real estate where Benchmark holds an active management or asset management role, in order to maintain complete alignment between its owners, shareholders and investors.